The Fragile
by daanceinyourblood
Summary: Hermione and Draco were best friends before being Sorted into different Houses. Now it's their sixth year at Hogwarts and Draco has recieved his mission from Voldemort. Will this help the two old friends band together again or will it break their bond?


**AN: **_I realize that this plot might have been done before, and oddly enough, it came me when I was cleaning my brother's bathroom. Odd huh? Here is the full summery: Even before their first year at Hogwarts, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy were best friends. But being Sorted into different houses changed them, distanced them. Now it's their sixth year at Hogwarts and Draco must fulfill the mission Voldemort gave him. But what happens when Hermione interferes? _

_Also there's a note: If you've always hated Draco Malfoy and have always thought him the villain of the Hermione and you would like to keep it that way, then stay away and go read something else. _

**Disclaimer: **I, orangeappletree, do not own Harry Potter or any of it's amazing characters and am not the ever-powerful J.K. Rowling; thus I do not own anything you even remotely recognize.

**The Fragile**

**Chapter One: Separated**

Sunday, September 1, 1991

1:32 P.M.

Hermione Jean Granger laughed loudly, ecstatically, running hand-in-hand with her best friend, Draco Malfoy, through their meadow. Or at least that's what it was to them. Their own special place, the only place that just the two of them knew of.

It was the day of their departure to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and they were both delighted to be starting their first year today.

Draco and Hermione had been friends since they were nine, when Hermione had been all alone at a playground by her house, swinging. Then, almost out of thin air, Draco had appeared, and, being Hermione, she had to find out about how he had just showed up. He had told her the truth, despite the fact that his father, Lucius, had told him many times to keep the fact that he was a wizard secret. Somehow, Draco had just known that Hermione was like him. Magical. And thus began their friendship.

Suddenly Draco stopped running and Hermione, who had skidded to a stop a couple of steps in front of him, dropped his hand and turned to look at him.

"Draco," she whispered, her voice full of concern. "What's wrong?"

Draco looked solemn, and stared at the far-off trees of the meadow. "What¾what if they put us in different Houses?" Draco stammered, and for a second, gray eyes met brown and Hermione smiled and attacked him with a hug so fierce it knocked them to the ground, laughing.

"Your silly, Draco," said Hermione happily. "They can't separate us, even if we are placed in different Houses, we'll always be friends."

"Always." Draco said, and held out the little finger of his left hand to Hermione. Smiling, Hermione wrapped the little finger of her right hand around Draco's.

Looking at the brown leather wrist watch she had received for her birthday, Hermione gasped and looked back at Draco with wide eyes. "We've got to go back! It's almost time for us to leave for Platform Nine-and-Three Quarters!" She exclaimed, standing up and brushing the grass from her jeans and T-shirt. Smiling brightly, she held her hand out to Draco, who took it, and together they raced back to the playground not far from either of their homes and hugged, then departed.

At Platform 9 3/4, Hermione and Draco met up and, after kissing their parents farewell, boarded the train. Looking for any empty compartments, they found none. So they decided to sit with another group of first-years. They were both boys. One had messy, choppy, black hair and large, round-rimmed glasses, the other bright, almost blinding, red hair, bright blue eyes, and dirt on his nose.

"Hello," Hermione said, looking from the boy with the glasses to the boy red haired boy, who was now stuffing his face with Chocolate Frogs. "I'm Hermione Granger. And you are?"

"Harry Potter," said the boy with the black hair and glasses.

"Rona¾" the boy with the red hair started to speak, but Hermione cut him off.

"Your Harry Potter?" she squealed, bouncing slightly in her seat, a very un-Hermione-ish thing to do while Draco nearly died laughing at her reaction. "_The _Harry Potter? Do you really have … the scar?" Hermione pointed to her forehead, her eyes alight with excitement.

"Yes." Harry muttered, turning slightly pink.

"And I'm Ro¾" The boy with the dirt on his nose tried to speak again, but was once more interrupted by Hermione.

"May I see it?" She whispered, leaning forward as if to get a better look. At this Harry sighed quietly; it was getting rather annoying now, being famous and being asked to see his scar. But he pushed his jet-black bangs back anyway, and showed Hermione the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead.

Hermione gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "It really _is _true!" She exclaimed, and turned to the boy who was addicted to Chocolate Frogs.

"Who are you?" She smiled, but it quickly disappeared as he rolled his blue eyes.

"Oh, so _now _you'd like to know my name?" He said, his voice barely decipherable through all the chocolate in his mouth. "I'm Ron Weasley."

Hermione grimaced and said to the compartment's table, "Pleasure."

"And I'm Draco Malfoy," Draco introduced himself to Ron and Harry, his voice holding a hint of self-superior demeanor. "Her best friend." Draco continued, smiling at Hermione, who smiled back. Ron and Harry nodded their heads.

"So," said Hermione, looking from Draco, to Harry, to Ron and back to Draco. "Which House would you like to be Sorted into?'

"Well…" said Harry, "I think Gryffindor would be by far the best."

"Yeah. I'm with Harry on that one," muttered Ron, who, for once, wasn't eating chocolate.

"What about you Draco?" Hermione turned to her best friend and smiled.

"Hmm…" Draco said, stroking his hairless chin. Hermione giggled. "I think Slytherin would be the best. What about you, Hermione?" He raised an eyebrow and Hermione thought for a moment. She wasn't really sure which House she'd want to be in, it was rumored that Slytherins were bad, Ravenclaws were clever, Gryffindors were brave, and Hufflepuffs were loyal. Really, all the Houses except Slytherin were fitting for Hermione's personality.

"Um… I don't really know, Draco." Hermione murmured. Looking out the window, she noticed they were nearing Hogwarts. Hermione looked away and at the three boys. "We're nearing Hogwarts, maybe we should get our robes on." Everyone nodded in agreement and stood, getting their bags and leaving the compartment. A little while later, they were all in their robes and at Hogwarts.

A large man who Harry seemed know, Hermione guessed by the way he'd shouted "Harry mah 'oy!" the second Harry appeared sorted them all into small canoes. Of course, Draco and Hermione sat together, with Harry and Ron.

Once at the Hogwarts castle's entrance, an elderly woman with a large, pointed hat and gray hair open the doors and welcomed the first-years cheerfully. Her name, she stated, was Professor Minerva McGonagall but she was to be called Professor McGonagall. "If any of you call me Minerva, you _will_ be sorry. You can expect immediate detention." Hermione noted not to get on the woman's bad side.

Professor McGonagall lead the first years into an elaborate hall, with floating candles and four long, oak tables sat in the enormous room. The ceiling was bewitched to look like the sky outside and when the students got to the front of the room, the Sorting Hat sat on a rickety stool in the center of the front of the room.

"When I call your name," McGonagall spoke loudly to the students, "come forth. I shall place the Sorting Hat on your head and you will be Sorted into your houses."

Hermione's name was called about fifteen minutes later and she nearly ran up to the stool and threw the Sorting Hat on her bushy-haired head. A few seconds later the hat cried "GRYFFINDOR!" and Hermione ran off to meet the welcoming Gryffindors.

Hermione had been so engrossed in her conversation with some of the other first-year Gryffindors that she barely noticed when McGonagall said Draco's name. Turning around, Hermione's eyes caught Draco's and she smiled. McGonagall placed the hat on Draco's platinum-blonde head and, almost before it had even touched his head the Hat's mouth opened and it shouted one word. "SLYTHERIN!" Hermione's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets at the shock of the fact that Draco and her were now separated.

**AN: **_Okay guys, this chapter is possibly the longest fan fiction I have ever written. I know it's a little rocky, but it literally took me __forever__ so read and review and tell me what you think!_


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